To Live and Grow Up
by sub0chick
Summary: Peter Pan, the boy who never wanted to grow up, stumbles into the life of first Lilly Evans and then later her son, Harry Potter.  Can he be convinced that growing up isn't the worst thing in life?  Eventual Harry/Peter
1. Start at the Start

Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan, Hook, or Harry Potter in any form, be it written, performed, or filmed, they belong to their respective owners/authors/production companies, and I am not making money from this in any way, shape, or form, it is solely for amusement.

Summary: Peter Pan, the boy who never wanted to grow up, stumbles into the life of first Lilly Evans and then later her son, Harry Potter. Can he be convinced that growing up isn't the worst thing in life? Eventual Harry/Peter

A/N: This is my first attempt at a chapter story for public consumption, I usually do one shots for friends involving all OC so we'll see how this goes. As of now I'm still debating on how exactly I want to proceed with the main storyline, but eventually this will be Harry/Peter pre-Slash if not outright Slash, you have been officially warned, so don't complain to me later, I'll just ignore you. Also, I live in the U.S., not England, I will do my best to be as accurate as possible, but I apologize in advance for the mistakes I'm sure will appear.

Ch. 1 - Start at the Start

Once upon a time, in a place called Surrey, England, there lived a little girl named Lilly Evans. Lilly led a normal life, living in a normal little house with her normal little sister and two normal parents. However, decidedly _un-normal_ things tended to happen around young Lilly. Her toys would fly and move around to entertain her. Strange things would happen when she became upset or angry. Her parents thought seriously about moving several times, thinking the house was haunted until they realized that the strange incidents simply followed Lilly whether she was home or not.

It was a couple months after Lilly turned eleven, school was out for the summer, and her family had yet to leave for their annual vacation, when her life changed drastically. The family had just settled in the living room for the evening to watch a little television and discuss vacation plans when their doorbell rang. Sitting the closest, Lilly leapt up from her seat and skipped to the door, flinging it open in her eagerness, they normally didn't get visitors so late in the day. Any greeting though, died on her lips as she stared in shock at the person waiting on the doorstep.

An elderly gentleman with long flowing white hair and beard, and wearing what looked like a house coat in the most shocking shade of violet she had ever laid eyes upon, stood smiling down at her, bright blue eyes seeming to twinkle with some inner humor.

The man, seemingly unconcerned with her staring, in fact his smile seemed to broaden at the dazed look she gave him, finally broke the silence that had begun to linger. "Ahh, Miss Lilly Evans I presume? I've been looking forward to meeting you."

Lilly froze for a moment before responding the only way she could think of, her young voice rising before slamming the door in the face of the now startled man. "Daaaaaaaad!"

A few minutes later, after a round of apologies from everyone, the stranger sat on the couch sipping tea while explaining to the family that his name was Albus Dumbledore and that he was the headmaster for a very special school…one that specialized in teaching young witches and wizards. And if that wasn't enough, he went on to explain that Lilly was, in fact, a witch.

Lilly's parents denied his statements, Lilly and her sister Petunia simply listening quietly, too shocked to contribute to the conversation. It took a while, and another pot of tea, for Dumbledore to convince her parents that Lilly was, indeed, a witch, and that all the strange things that happened around her were simply from her magic acting out.

By the time Dumbledore left, full night was upon them, Lilly had been entered as a first year student at Hogwarts Academy, and her parents had been instructed on where to buy her school supplies and how to get her on the train that would take her to the school. Lilly and Petunia were shuffled off to bed, vacation plans put on hold until the next night, while their parents discussed all the information that had just been thrown at them, keeping their voices down so as not to disturb the girls' rest.

Too excited from everything she'd just learned to actually sleep, Lilly slid out of bed not long after her parents tucked her in and wandered to her bedroom window, pushing it open to look up at the starry sky. The moon was full, the sky clear, and a gentle breeze was blowing, teasing her curtains and the ends of her long red hair. Gazing up at the sky, she spoke softly to herself, her voice carrying a hint of absolute wonder in it. "I'm a witch. I have magic. I'm going to go to a school for people like me and learn how to control my magic, do spells, and learn to fly…" A soft, musical laugh slipped from her. "I'm going to learn to fly!"

"Oh, flying's not that hard, I do it all the time."

Lilly's bright green eyes grew as big as saucers as she stared at the boy that was suddenly hovering outside her second story window. She only managed to catch a glimpse of messy blonde hair and green clothes before she promptly fainted.


	2. How do you do?

Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan, Hook, or Harry Potter in any form, be it written, performed, or filmed, they belong to their respective owners/authors/production companies, and I am not making money from this in any way, shape, or form, it is solely for amusement.

A/N: I edited the first chapter slightly, I decided to use the blonde kid who played Peter in the last live movie (he was such a little hottie) versus the auburn cartoon version for reference, so the description has been changed. Thank you to my two reviewers, it made my day to see them waiting for me :)

Ch. 2 - How do you do?

A not so gentle poking of her arm dragged Lilly from a dream of flying boys and twinkling old men in strange colored bath robes. Well, that and the sound of tinkling bells and a young voice calling to her softly. She debated for a minute on whether to wake up or not, truly it was the oddest dream ever but she wanted to see what happened. Unfortunately that voice was getting a lot more insistent.

"Hey, girl, wake up! What do you mean? Of course I didn't break her! I didn't even touch her, now did I? What? Oh, hey, she's waking up. About time! Hey, girl, are you alright?"

Lilly felt fingertips tugging her eyelids open and she batted the hands away only to have the sight of a young boy about her age sitting Indian style in _mid-air _with a funny little gold glowing thing fluttering about his head fill her view. She covered her eyes with her hands before slowly peeking through her fingers. Nope, he was still there. Staring. At her. In her room! Oh bugger, her parents would have a conniption fit if they saw…well, any of this.

Pushing herself up so she was sitting, weight resting on her hands on the floor behind her, she peered up at the floating boy, tongue darting out over lips nervously before getting up the nerve to finally speak. Falling back on years of proper upbringing, she held one hand out to him, plastering a somewhat shaky smile on her face. "How do you do? I'm Lilly Evans. Who are you?" After a moment's thought she quickly added "And what are you doing in my room?"

The boy stared at her a few moments longer, giving her time to truly take in his appearance; messy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, tanned skin and the oddest clothing she'd ever see (even after seeing her strange new headmaster), and all surrounded by some kind of faint gold shimmer. Finally, as if he had been debating with himself about answering her, even after bothering her until she woke up, a broad smile tilted his lips and he took her hand, shaking it sharply once as he spoke. "Hello. I'm Peter Pan. And I was flying by your house when I heard you talking about flying and stuff, though I really didn't see anybody around, so I thought maybe you were talking to me, or maybe to your own fairy, so I stopped to talk to you but then you kind of…well…passed out, so I thought I better make sure you were alright before I left you." A noisy clash of tiny bells seemed to come from the golden glowing thing darting around Peter's head, so with a dramatic rolling of his eyes he jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the little thing* "Oh, and that's Tinkerbell, but you can just call her Tink, we all do."

Lilly pinched herself. This could _not_ be happening to her. First some strange old man shows up on their doorstep to tell her she's a witch and about all the stuff she was going to be learning at her new school, and then some boy goes flying past her window…without a broom. She was pretty sure the headmaster had specified flying _on _a broom. And there were fairies? She guessed it stood to reason seeing that witches and magic and flying were real enough, but even so, it was all just a little too much all at once. On top of that, it finally dawned on her that she was only in her nightgown and there was a _boy_ in her _room_. With a muffled shriek she jumped to her feet and darted across the room, speaking to him in an accusing hiss, not wanting to raise her voice and bring her parents checking on her. "You can't be here, it's not proper! I'm in my nightgown!"

Peter looked at her in surprise as she darted suddenly across the room before blinking slowly, the only reaction he gave to her announcement. "So? That's all Wendy and the boys were in when I took them with me to Neverland, it's not like I've never seen a girl in one before, besides, it is night after all." He shook his head in amusement at her little moment of drama, wondering why she was carrying on about it. It wasn't like he was expecting her to be dressed for adventuring.

Unfortunately his words did little to calm her, her bright green eyes growing wide and her voice coming out in a squeak. "So you regularly go looking at girls in their nightgowns? And what do you mean you took them? Did you kidnap someone? And where's Neverland anyway? I've never heard of it."

Peter looked over at Tink, shaking his head as he muttered. "Wendy and the boys were a lot easier to deal with, weren't they? And to think you were complaining then." He waved a hand at Lilly's insulted huff, turning his attention back to her. "I usually only go flying around here at night so _everyone_ I see is their night clothes, of course. And no I didn't kidnap anyone, only the pirates do that, silly girl. Wendy and her brothers live in London; she didn't want to grow up so I took her and her brothers to Neverland, which is where the Lost Boys and the fairies and I live, so she wouldn't have to. But they missed their parents and she decided she wanted to grow up after all, so I took them back, which was sad, her brothers were turning out to be fine Lost Boys."

Lilly stared at Peter in shock, once more the thought of there simply being _too much_ going through her mind. He answered every one of her questions, but then the answers didn't make much sense and just made more questions. What were Lost Boys? And where exactly was Neverland? And what did he mean about not growing up? And pirates? She shook her head and pointed to the still open window. "I'm confused and I'm tired and I really don't know what to think about all this. It's been a very long evening. I think you should go. Come back tomorrow night and we can talk again, alright? Please?"

Peter thought about it for a long moment then finally nodded, uncrossing his legs so he "stood" in the air. "Alright, that's fair enough. I'll be back tomorrow night and then maybe we can talk about flying and stuff. Just remember to leave your window open." Darting out the window, he hovered there for a moment, looking back at her in the darkened room. "I am sorry I scared you, by the way. It was nice meeting you though." And with a smile and a wave, he and Tink flew away into the night, the sound of bells echoing in the still night.

Lilly slowly moved to the window, peeking out suspiciously, but seeing nothing, and more importantly _no one_, she closed the window and went back to bed. Staring up at the ceiling she marveled over the events of the evening. She could honestly say that it was the most extraordinary day of her life so far, but from the sounds of it, it was only the beginning.


	3. Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: See first two chapters. In general, if you recognize it, I don't own it.

A/N: OMG you guys are amazing. All total I've had over 1000 hits for this story, just mind blowing, really. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it so far. I do apologize for the delay in this chapter, I should warn you all now, I'm a horrible procrastinator, but I will try my best to post every week or two, barring writer's block and real life incidents. Now to answer a question that's been posed from several people. Yes, this story will eventually be about Harry and Peter Pan in a romantic relationship. That being said, I decided to start off with Peter meeting Lily and being introduced into the family's lives that way. No, there will not be many chapters of Lily's POV left. And since I forgot to mention early on, the rating is for future chapters obviously.

Also, since I had a couple comments about it too, there are actually other Harry/Peter fics out there, you just have to search for them (I stumbled across them by accident), because that's how I actually got the idea to do this story. On do a crossover search for (book) Harry Potter and (book or movie) Peter Pan. On you have to look under Harry Potter crossovers or go to Peter Pan (book or movie, can't remember which) and search through them there. Thank you all again for reading, if you have any questions or comments, leave a review and I'll try to address them for you next time.

Chapter 3 - Getting to Know You

Lilly tried to tell her parents the next morning over breakfast about her late night visitor. They told her that it certainly sounded like quite an interesting dream, kissed her on the head and headed out to work for the day.

She tried telling Petunia, just to be able to tell _someone_, but her sister was sulking and told her all too clearly that she didn't want to hear about any of her "witchy" stuff and that she wasn't going to give in to her need for attention.

Lilly felt like screaming and stormed up to her room, slamming the door, her stuffed animals scattered around the room all but leaping off their shelves in her fit of temper. She just didn't understand it. She had a _boy_, a flying one at that, in her _room _in the middle of the night and nobody cared. It was just too bizarre. She blamed that Dumbledore man. Ever since he showed up her life had started going crazy.

She finally got calmed down, though she spent the rest of the day in her room putting it back in order and going over all the information her headmaster had given them the night before. The rest of the day was uneventful, and after dinner with her family, she called it an early night and head to bed… well, her bedroom at least.

Lilly remained dressed in her day clothes and, after opening her window, settled onto her bed with a book. She didn't know how long she'd been reading for when she heard the chiming of tiny bells and looked up to see Peter perched on her windowsill watching her. Giving the boy a haughty look, she finally broke the silence. "You know, it's not polite to stare."

Peter, accompanied by Tink, merely laughed and flew over to sit Indian style at the foot of her bed facing her. "So, what are you reading?"

Lilly gave Peter a disbelieving look. "Haven't your parents taught you any manners? Really!"

Peter rolled his eyes and shrugged carelessly. "I haven't got any parents to teach me anything. Tink and the other Neverland people help teach me anything I don't know already."

Lilly gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth as she all but gushed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean… I shouldn't have said…"

Peter looked at her strangely before it suddenly dawned on him what her problem might be. "Oh, they didn't die, I ran away. Tink found me and took me to Neverland. Though…I suppose they might be dead now, I'm not really sure. It's been a long time since I left home…"

Lilly looked at him in shock. Though she did feel better that she hadn't made a complete fool of herself, it was still…unnerving the way he so casually shrugged off his parents potential deaths; she couldn't imagine not having her own parents in her life. Something he said though finally caught up with her. "You said it had been a long time since you'd been home. How old are you, anyway? You look my age."

Peter once more stared at her, deep blue eyes unblinking, for a long moment before shrugging once more. "Well, I was eleven when I ran away. Tink?" He looked up at the little glowing fairy that was darting back and forth around his head questioningly. Tilting his head as she spoke, Lilly only hearing the chiming of bells, he glanced over at the girl in front of him, nodding absently before he finally spoke. "Tink says it's been about a hundred cycles…er, years that is… since she found me. So, what are you reading?"

Lilly gaped at him. The boy had to be teasing her, surely! Right? A hundred years? And he still looked her age…Her eyes narrowed slightly and she started cursing that strange twinkly eyed headmaster of hers; she blamed him! Her life was normal and boring until he showed up and now…now…THIS! "You mean to tell me you're about a hundred and eleven years old? And you expect me to believe that rubbish?"

Peter sat watching the girl calmly as her voice steadily grew more shrill before she ended her rant on a high pitched squeak. He tilted his head up to look at his fairy companion, muttering quietly as the girl seemed to be talking to herself and he didn't want to interrupt. "She seems a bit mental sometimes, doesn't she? But yeah, that's right…well, give or take a few years"

Lilly glared and hissed at him. "I am _not_ mental! Before yesterday I never knew anything like magic or fairies or anything else like that existed anywhere except in a book. It's all a little much!" Aggravated, she threw her book at him, startling him as he caught it and fell backwards, though he merely floated for a moment before taking his seat back at the foot of her bed, examining the cover.

"Oh, they're fairy tales. Silly girl, why didn't you just tell me that? Some of these are quite funny. To think a mermaid would give away her voice and _want_ to go walking around on land, honestly how stupid can you get. This one's pretty good though, they almost got it right. Oh, and I always liked this one…"

Lilly sat quietly staring at the strange boy perched at the end of her bed. She was feeling kind of numb and fuzzy around the edges at this point listening to the blonde critique the various stories. The way he spoke suggested they were real, or were based on real things, which if she was honest with herself, was one of the reasons she had started re-reading them. If everything she had been told was unreal was actually real, then what prevented those stories from being based on truth also?

Finally calming down, she sighed and settled back against the headboard, watching as Peter pointed out some illustrations to the little fairy that was now resting on his shoulder. Scrunching her nose for a moment, she sighed and offered up an olive branch as it were. "Tell me what Neverland's like? You seem to be awfully knowledgeable about those stories."

At that, Peter perked up, his blue eyes sparkling to rival her headmaster's, as he started to tell her all about the place he lived. A couple hours passed and full night had truly set in by the time she realized she was starting to nod off. Bidding him a reluctant goodnight, he really was a good story teller and painted a vivid picture of the place he called home, she closed the window and changed into her nightclothes. Snuggling into bed, she let the her mind wander where it would, replaying the stories of mermaids and pirates and Indians and fairies, the subjects of which soon merged into dreams of witches and wizards and flying brooms, and she slept through the night with a smile tilting her lips.


	4. Time for Goodbyes

Disclaimer: See first two chapters. In general, if you recognize it, I don't own it.

A/N: Guess what, I finally figured out how to view the alerts and stuff on my story on ...only took me, what, 3 chapters to figure it out. So, in regards to that... OMG wow! I feel so special and loved. I'm glad you're all enjoying my story and I thank all of my reviewers for taking the time to let me know what you like or what you don't/want to see. I do read all my reviews and if you have an actual question I will do my best to respond (to those on , you need to leave an email so I can respond). If there is simply a general concern regarding the story, I'll address it in the A/N at the start of the next chapter since most of you seem to have the same issues. In regard to those issues, since I've actually answered the question in the last two chapters, this will be my last time saying it: **No, this story is not about Lilly and Peter, there will probably only be another couple chapters before it switches over to Harry and Peter. Most of the Harry/Peter story is going to be friendship leading to pre-slash which will eventually lead to slash, meaning Harry and Peter in a romantic relationship. **You have been warned again, but I will give a definite warning at the start of the chapter that things change in that direction.

Chapter 4: Time for Goodbyes

The rest of the summer passed quickly for Lilly, with the daytime hours spent preparing for her new school, a school that would be hundreds of miles and a world away from her parents, and visiting with her friend Severus who lived down the street, and nights spent talking with Peter about the fantastic world he called home.

And if a small, buried part of her worried for the strange boy from another world, she tried not to show it, though she couldn't help but wonder who took care of him when he was sick or injured, who cooked for him, or gave him gifts to cheer him, who provided him with clothes.

She tried a few times to subtly ask about her concerns when he would tell her about his day to day life. Peter though, would only give her vague answers of how Tink or the mermaids would give him things he needed, or how the Indians, now led by Tiger Lilly's husband, would patch him up if he was injured during one of his adventures.

She asked him about friends, other children he played with. A lot of his stories involved those he called the Lost Boys, but it sounded like he was alone in his newer adventures. He finally responded to that question one night, though he wouldn't meet her eyes. In fact he had a very far off look in those bright blue eyes.

"My Lost Boys went on one last great adventure with me after we beat Hook. I brought them back here, to Wendy and her family; she was all grown up with her own children. She found families for all of them and they grew up. They've got kids of their own now; I check on them all occasionally."

And if he sounded a little lost and a little hurt, she didn't mention it, instead asking him about this Hook person, and watched as happiness once more filled his eyes. And if she thought she saw a flash of gratitude in his eyes for the change of subject...well, she didn't mention that either.

-HP/PP-

It was Lilly's last night home, she was leaving for Hogwarts the next morning, and she sat in the middle of her bed, staring at the window, waiting for Peter to show up. He had said he'd make sure he came by before she left, she wanted to say goodbye to her new friend since she would be gone for several months, not returning until the Christmas holidays.

She had just about given up, slipping from her bed and walking slowly to her window to shut it, when she caught the faint sound of chiming bells drawing closer to her. Stepping back from the window, she waited only a moment before Peter darted in, flying in circles around her, causing her to stifle a giggle before he finally settled, hovering, in front of her. Getting a good look at him, she noticed he was a little more haggard looking than normal; his hair even more messy than normal and his clothes smudged with dirt and slightly torn. Tilting her head curiously, she finally gave in and asked, "Is everything okay? You look a little…worn."

Peter gave an embarrassed laugh, his hand ruffling his hair nervously as he shrugged. "Sorry, I'm late. But, yes, I'm alright; just had a bit of a struggle getting… well, um, free to get here." At his words, Tinkerbell started darting about his head, obviously agitated.

Her gaze narrowing at his odd turn of phrase and Tink's antics, she looked him over once more, noticing what looked like irritated spots on his arms…rope burns? What in the world had the boy been up to this time? Before she could ask, he smiled brightly, tugging a reciprocating smile from her. Suddenly, his hand was thrust in front of her face and she blinked, stumbling back slightly as she tried to focus on… well, what looked like an oddly wrapped present. Giving him a questioning look, she reached out toward the small fabric wrapped bundle hesitantly.

"Well, go on, take it. I got you a going away present to remember Tink and me with."

Surprised, her emerald gaze darted from the present to meet his eyes and back again. "You got me a present? But why …I mean what…Thank you! That's so sweet!" With a small, happy squeal, she leapt forward and gave him a quick hug, laughing lightly as he batted her away, muttering about silly girls. Opening the fabric, which seemed to shimmer and slide through her fingers like water, she found an odd stone that at first glance looked like a coarse black rock, but as she moved it, she noticed it sparkled and glinted in the light. She twisted and turned the stone between her fingers, watching as the light scattered from the crystal fragments embedded in the surface. "What is it? It's amazing"

Peter smiled smugly, obviously proud that she admired her present so much. "It's a fallen star, they're good for making wishes on and stuff but you have to truly desire what you wish for with all your heart." Taking her hand, he dragged her over to the window, pointing up into the night sky at a star that seemed to be twinkling brighter than any of the others, as if it was beckoning the two children. "That's the way to Neverland, Lilly. I know you won't ever come with me, but this way…this way you have something to remember me…us… by, wherever it is you're going."

Lilly looked over at him, saw a faint sadness lingering in his bright blue eyes and closed her fingers around the stone, holding her hand over her heart. For that brief moment, Peter, boy of never ending adventures and mischief, looked…lonely. "I'll never forget you, Peter. I promise." Trying to cheer him up, she forced a bright smile and ruffled his hair. "I couldn't forget you anyway, how many other boys will I ever have come flying in my bedroom window in the middle of the night?"

Peter nodded and a smile tilted his lips once more. "I'm glad you like it, the mermaids weren't too happy when I went to get it." And for the next few minutes, he told Lilly how he had gone after the stone in the lake the mermaids made their home in, how they had captured him and tried to get him to give it back, and how he had made a daring escape…with Tink's help of course.

Lilly gasped and applauded quietly as the story unfurled, the stone resting on her pillow. Reluctantly, much later than usual for the two of them, she slid from the bed and followed him over to the window. Looking up at the sky and his star glowing brightly, she spoke softly, not daring to look at him. "Have you ever thought of staying, Peter? Of growing up with the rest of us?"

Peter shook his head slightly, staring up at his star as well. "No, not yet. I'm not ready to give up my adventures for an ordinary life."

Lilly laughed softly at his words, not expecting anything different from him. "Oh, Peter, living can be an awfully big adventure too, you know." Turning to him, she smiled brightly. "Be safe, Peter. I expect to hear lots of stories about your adventures when I come home for Christmas, alright?"

Peter laughed and flew out the window, hovering there for a moment. "You be safe, with your spells and flying brooms. I want to hear just as many stories when I come visit you." And with one last wave, he and Tink flew off into the night sky, heading toward the beckoning star.

Lilly watched him go until she could no longer see him and closed up her window. After changing into her night clothes, she climbed into bed, her fingers once more playing over the surface of her fallen star. Starting tomorrow her whole world would be changing, nothing would ever be the same. And as she drifted off to sleep, the stone clutched tightly in her hand she made her first wish, but instead of one for herself, her last conscious thought was for Peter. _I wish Peter would find something worth living for._

A/N: I wish all of you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season!


	5. Home for the Holidays

Disclaimer: See first two chapters. In general, if you recognize it, I don't own it.

A/N: Thank you again to all of my readers and reviewers; you guys truly make my day and keep me motivated to work on this. Now begins the massive time skipping, just as a warning, though I think all of you are actually looking forward to it. I also have a poll up on my profile regarding a story idea I got if anyone's interested in voting.

I hope you all have a blessed holiday season, may it be happy and safe for you and your loved ones. Now for the present for all you guys, don't say I never gave you anything ;)

Chapter 5: Home for the Holidays

Winter came and with it a return home for the holidays. Lilly's family was waiting at the station for her with smiles and large, breath-stealing hugs... well, at least from her parents, Petunia was still irritated with her and could be heard mumbling in the background.

Rambling happily about her school year so far, Lilly dazzled them with stories about her classes and teachers and castles and magic dining tables and the neatest sport _ever_, Quidditch.

Days were spent with her family Christmas shopping and going to parties. At night, she once more traded stories with Peter, though hers were now as incredible as his at times.

Lilly also had to show off the necklace she wore to Peter. During one of her trips to Hogsmeade, she'd taken her star to a jeweler and had them make it into a pendant. The coarse stone now was caged by four thin strands of silver and attached to a black velvety cord.

"The man gave me the oddest look when I handed it to him. He even asked to buy it from me, but I told him it was a gift from a friend and I'd never sell something like that. Of course, most everyone else just asks why I'm wearing a plain old rock."

Peter smiled fondly as Lilly laughed, his gaze set on the stone as he tumbled it across his fingers, being careful not to snag the delicate cord on his calloused fingers. It warmed him that she thought so highly of his gift that she chose to make it into something she could always keep on her. Thinking of the properties of the stone, his fingers unconsciously closed around it. _I hope she has this with her when she most needs it._

Lilly's question about his plans for Christmas drew him out of his thoughts and he handed her necklace back to her with a promise to return Christmas night.

-HP/PP-

Lilly waited impatiently on her bed late Christmas night. She'd had a great day and received a ton of wonderful gifts, but now she waited for Peter to show up. He had told her that he never really did anything special for the holiday and so she had prepared a special little treat for him, plus a present she had picked up for him on another Hogsmeade trip.

She'd fallen into a light sleep when she heard the normal chiming bells sound that announced the arrival of Peter and Tink. Smiling sleepily, she watched as the two flew in and settled on the foot of her bed. "Merry Christmas, Peter, Tink! I have a surprise for you."

Leaning precariously off the side of her bed, she pulled a covered plate and a little wrapped box from underneath. Uncovering the plate, she revealed a dish piled high with different foods. "Since you couldn't come for dinner, I made you a plate. Mum's a really good cook. Oh, and this is for you."

Breath held, she watched as he unwrapped the present, smiling at the surprised look on his face. It took all her willpower not to pester him as he pulled out the necklace inside. As soon as she saw it in the shop, she knew she had to get it for him. On a sturdy chain hung a locket shaped like the Hogwart's crest with a colored stone inset in each house quadrant to show the house color. Inside she'd placed a wizarding picture of her smiling and waving. "I hope you like it. I wanted you to have something from the magical world...and something to remember me by."

Peter stared at the locket for several long minutes, tracing the emblem with his fingers before watching the moving picture cycle through its recorded sequence.

Lilly was beginning to think she'd made a huge mistake as Peter's silence drew out. Just as she was about to start apologizing, he looked up and gave her a shaky smile, his brilliant blue eyes looking a little watery. But since she knew brave, adventurous boys didn't cry over presents, she said nothing, waiting until he gathered himself enough to speak.

"It's wonderful, Lilly, thank you. Now I can take you with me to Neverland after all. Now, let's eat!"

She smiled and handed over a fork, nibbling on some of the food as she watched him try everything. And if she happened to notice the wistful note in his voice as he spoke of taking her with him... well, she let him be, her hand reaching for the stone hanging from her neck automatically as the first wish she made slipped through her thoughts once more.

-HP/PP-

The rest of the holidays passed quickly with more visits to friends and relatives. And much to Lily's parents' dismay, at least if they would have known, she greeted the New Year with Peter, drinking sparkling cider and listening to the party going on downstairs, giggling and laughing as they heard the drunken adults singing loudly and off key.

Soon enough she was on the train back to school, catching up with her friends from school and comparing parties and presents, discussing upcoming classes and potential homework assignments.

The rest of the year passed uneventfully aside from the magical quality of all the classes. Lilly's friendships strengthened and she began to find her place in her life at school. She also quickly learned how to escape the attentions of an obnoxious trio of boys from her year that called themselves The Marauders, though her friend Severus was much more unlucky.

Before she knew it, she was eating at the end of year feast, cheering for the House cup winner, and then boarding the train back home. With tearful farewells to her friends, and promises to owl and write frequently, Lilly was reunited with her family and on the way home. And even as she told her family story after story about her life at school, she was looking forward to visiting with Peter a lot more often that summer, feeling that he'd actually understand some of what she was talking about a little better considering what he dealt with on a normal basis.

-HP/PP-

Tinkerbell was worried. Peter was growing much more withdrawn as time went by. It was bad enough after that Wendy-girl and her brothers left, but then the Lost Boys decided to up and leave as well, and Peter was left alone to wander the little collection of houses that had once been so full of life and noise. Even his visits to the mermaids and the Indian tribe did little to cheer him nowadays.

Perched on a tree branch, she watched as Peter reclined at the base, staring at the locket that the Lilly-girl had given him. As much as she really didn't like him associating with those silly human children, they did seem to cheer him up considerably. With a sigh, she decided she couldn't put it off any longer unless she wanted to deal with a sulking Peter.

Fluttering down from her perch, she hovered in front of him as she pointed out that it was the day that the Lilly-girl said she would be returning from her school. And as much as it grated on her nerves to be thankful to the stupid human child, the bright smile that momentarily graced Peter's features was worth it.


	6. New Friends in Old Places

Disclaimer: See first two chapters. In general, if you recognize it, I don't own it.

A/N: Thank you once more to all my wonderful readers and especially to my reviewers. I love hearing from you guys, even if it is just a "Good story, want more" or constructive criticism or ideas on what you'd like to see happen. I make no promises regarding the last two issues, but as this story is evolving, you never know when an idea might be worked in at some point, so don't be afraid to give your opinions. I just watched Peter Pan (2003 version) again the other night, and I have to say, I'd forgotten what a cocky and emotional little brat he could be lol. I also found it funny, in regards to my fic at least, that the guy that played /Cpt. Hook plays Lucius in Harry Potter.

A big thanks and virtual cookies also to ForgottenAngerCourter at for some great ideas and for providing some details regarding some of the characters that I had forgotten or just never known. I also blame the spawning of several more plot bunnies on them, which is both good and bad because it gave me several good ideas to work with, however they're also starting to overrun me now lol. One of said plot bunnies gets it's start here.

Chapter 6: New Friends in Old Places

The summer before Lilly's second year at Hogwarts passed relatively uneventfully. Interspersed with visits to family and friends, doing her summer assignments, and a shopping trip to Diagon Alley to purchase her school supplies, she spent time with Severus, the two now having even more in common with their wizarding heritage.

It was during one of their meetings at the nearby park that Lilly accidentally mentioned Peter while playing absently with her necklace. Unsurprisingly, the reserved boy was highly skeptical of the information she provided of flying boys and fairies and other worlds...at least he was until she pointed out that they were now wizards who visited a hidden world and were learning to fly on brooms and had house elves serving them in the castle they lived in. After that, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

That night, when Peter stopped by to visit, Lilly posed the suggestion of Peter stopping by to visit Severus one night, explaining how she had accidentally slipped and told her friend about him. She explained that Severus was very reserved and quiet and had trouble making friends because of this. Peter stayed quiet for several long minutes, looking thoughtful before nodding and telling her he would think about it. She gave him directions to Sev's house, just in case he decided to follow through with it.

Two days later, just as soon as she'd finished breakfast and gotten dressed for the day, there was a knock on the door. To her surprise, Severus stood there, the most startled look on his face as he dragged her outside. The normally stoic boy was almost bouncing in excitement as he quietly exclaimed, "You were right! I apologize. He came…the boy, Peter… he stopped by my window last night and knocked. And the fairy! It...she...was so remarkable, exactly as you described. And he_ flew_, I don't understand how, but he did! And we talked until almost dawn, he said he'd come back to visit and bring some of the plants that are native to his world for me to examine"

Lilly laughed lightly, so happy that she was able to do something to make her friend happy, and from the sounds of it, possibly made Peter a little happier as well. Of course the bit about the plants just made her laugh all the more; it was so typically Severus. He'd always been curious about plants and their properties and as soon as he'd discovered Potions at Hogwarts, he was in heaven. She really hoped that the two could become friends, they both could certainly use one besides herself.

The next time she saw Peter, she couldn't help but question him about his meeting with Sev, and was happy to hear Peter go on about the other boy almost as excitedly as Sev had about him. She simply basked in the warm feeling of a job well done as she listened. She knew that although she got along with both boys, there were certain things that boys would just have more in common with each other, and so she sat quietly, a gentle smile gracing her features as he continued before their conversation turned once more to her experiences while at school.

-HP/PP-

Soon enough, Lilly was saying her goodbyes to Peter and making sure she had everything she needed packed for her next year at Hogwarts. A part of her felt bad for leaving the boy, he'd gotten that lost look again and, coupled with the softly pouring rain outside as he left, she wound up worrying about him for the rest of the night. It also made her question the wisdom of introducing him to Sev, because now Peter was losing both of his new friends until the holidays came around again, and it wasn't like they could exactly write to him or anything. But then again, he'd seemed so happy during the summer, both the boys had, so she made herself stop obsessing over the "could have/should have's" and focus on not forgetting anything she'd need.

The next day she was at the station, saying tearful farewells to her parents, Petunia had decided to stay at home rather than be dragged along, and greeting her friends she hadn't seen all summer. When she got a chance during the trip up to the castle, she asked Sev if Peter had been by to tell him goodbye. He confirmed that indeed, their flying friend had stopped by for a brief visit in the rain, lingering only long enough to bid him farewell and wish him luck in his classes.

Lilly sighed softly, her fingers finding her star pendant once again as she wished for Peter to find lasting happiness. But her thoughts were soon dragged away from her far-off friend by the Sorting and the welcoming feast and then it was off to the dorms to get ready for classes the next day, even so she managed a glimpse out the window before she laid down for the night, finding Peter's home star twinkling in the night sky, though even it seemed not to be as bright as it was when he was with her.

School passed in a flurry of new classes and new friends, new aggravations from the Marauders and especially their leader, James. The insufferable boy just would not leave her alone, and to make it worse, the four boys seemed to take a special interest in taunting Sev which did nothing to help the prat's standing in her eyes. It did seem as though Sev had made a new friend in his own house though, a very aristocratic blonde named Lucius, and though his attitude toward her made her instantly dislike him, she tried her best to remain civil for Sev's sake.

The next thing she knew, the holidays were upon them once more and Lilly was back home for the traditional rounds to friends and families and shopping and late night conversations with Peter. After their first visit, the boy seemed much happier for the rest of her stay, they even traded Christmas presents again. This time she got him a selection of candies from Honeyduke's which he seemed to really like, especially the chocolate frogs as soon as he found out they actually moved, and she kept having to hush him as he kept breaking out laughing as the mindless confection hopped around the room and into things. Peter gave her a selection of beautiful feathers that the Indian tribe often used in their headdresses, figuring she could make use of them since she had told him she used quills while at school. She found out later that he'd given Sev another selection of plants and some random rocks and things he thought the budding Potions expert would find a use for. Sev had actually thought to give their new friend a small leather pouch that was spelled to withstand pretty much any damage as well as the elements.

Much to her dismay, the holidays seemed to pass as quickly as school had and she was once more saying her goodbyes to Peter, even more concerned for his safety as he left in a complete downpour, she could even see the sidewalks starting to cover over with icy sleet as the cold froze the rain as soon as it hit. She watched him as long as she could before the weather drove him out of her sight. With a heavy heart she finished packing and readied her things for her trip back to school.

-HP/PP-

Tink was about ready to toss that Lilly-girl to the pirates, as ineffectual as they were without the daunting Captain Hook with them. She'd thought it was good that Peter saw the human because he cheered up again, and then she introduced him to that boy Severus, and wasn't he a moody one, but it seemed to make Peter even more happy, so Tink went along with it, as always. And then they _both_ left to go back to that strange school of theirs, and Peter was left alone once more, and she was left trying to console him. And NOTHING was working.

She tried to get him to go hunting with the Indians, he gave up and went home after the first hour. She tried to get him to outsmart the mermaids and claim another of their treasures, and wasn't _that_ a horrible idea, it just seemed to make him think even more of his missing human friends. She even tried to get him to raid the pirates, he simply sighed and flew up to rest on a tree limb, staring at the locket that the girl had given him.

She was tired of the silence. She was tired of the moods. And blast it all she was sick to death tired of the blasted _rain_, she didn't think she'd ever feel dry again. And those stupid human months took so _long_, but she was left counting them, waiting for the one that would signal the return home of the two children and the return of Peter's good mood. Tink wondered how many of those "school years" the children _had _to go to, because she didn't think she was going to be able to withstand too much more of things the way they were going currently.

After what seemed like a grey, misty, depressing, _forever_, Tink went in search for her boy. _Her _boy! She was the one that had rescued him when he ran away, she was the one that helped watch over him. She was the one left to console him when all his friends left him alone. But she wasn't enough, was never enough, so she did the only thing she could and sucked in her pride and told Peter that the children were due back home that night, and felt like crying a little herself as the first real smile she'd seen since winter graced the boy's features as he flew up into the sky crowing his happiness and the first rays of sunlight to grace Neverland since before winter dared to peek through the grey clouds that had been lingering for months.


End file.
